Benfica thrashed St. Gallen 5-0 and now get Hearts in the Europa League
Pavlidis scored four at the Luz and Lenglet added a fifth as Benfica turned the tie around 6-2 on aggregate. The third qualifying round against Hearts is on 6 and 13 August.
A week after leaving Switzerland with a 2-1 defeat on their record, Benfica settled the tie in about three quarters of an hour and with essentially one player. Pavlidis scored four at the Luz, Lenglet made it five, and the 5-0 sent St. Gallen home 6-2 on aggregate.
How did Benfica turn the tie around?
Early, which is always the easiest way. Pavlidis opened the scoring on 11 minutes and took the nerves out of the stadium before they could settle. The second half belonged entirely to the Greek striker: 55, 65 and 74 minutes, the last from the penalty spot, a full set of four inside twenty minutes. Lenglet, signed from Atlético Madrid, finished the job on 82.
A red card helped along the way. Stanic picked up a second yellow for a foul on Sudakov and left the Swiss side with ten men while the tie was still technically alive. After that it was a training session in front of a paying crowd.
When do Benfica play Hearts?
On 6 August at the Luz, with the second leg on 13 August in Scotland. It is the Europa League third qualifying round and the opponent is Heart of Midlothian of Edinburgh — a club that fills Tynecastle every week and has an unhelpful habit of making life difficult for visiting favourites, something Benfica have already learned the hard way this season.
The calendar is the awkward part. The Primeira Liga starts on 8 August, right between the two legs, so the squad opens the month playing every three days. After the first-leg defeat in St. Gallen, the room for second chances has narrowed considerably. Draws and official dates are on the UEFA site.
By Vasco Almada
Image: Florent Dusonchet / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
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